


Let Me Tell You a Story

by thatshaught



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Wayhaught - Freeform, wearp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:07:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21595843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatshaught/pseuds/thatshaught
Summary: Nicole reflects on her relationship with Waverly while Waverly dances around a bonfire.
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 11
Kudos: 98





	Let Me Tell You a Story

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MYK](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MYK/gifts).



> hehe happy thanksgiving to those who celebrate!
> 
> come scream @ me to be productive  
> @thatshaught

Fall. Such a lovely time of year. The Earth is a melody of red, yellow, orange and green, the children play in the fields before a white sheet tucks them in for the entirety of the winter months, birds migrate through the sky to warmer weather, always in a rush to be somewhere, and it’s never a bad night for a bonfire.

Nicole sat on a stump that she picked out from the pile of firewood that was perched just beside the house. As she sat down, her knees and ankles creaked, reminding her, ever so subtly, of her old age. She watched as Waverly ran around the fire, chasing their grandchildren. Nicole was still in awe of her wife who was acting like she was in her twenties again. She frequently found herself in this state of awe, wondering how she managed to be so lucky that she scored a woman as magical and as magnificent as Waverly.

Her red hair was still vibrant as ever, her big brown eyes were the same puppy dog eyes. Lines framed her eyes and lips, showing a history of happiness and a lifetime of smiles. She sat with her flannel untucked and undone, her jeans dirty from her day of hard work which consisted of face painting and jumping into leaf piles. Very hard work.

Waverly never really stopped being young. She chose to live in the present, being thankful for the days that she had. She still did her morning yoga and was ever vigilant about being vegan for as long as her doctor would let her. Of course, that didn’t stop her every year when her physician said she needed a more ‘dependable source of protein’. She told him that she wasn’t budging, and that was that. 

A small child sat next to Nicole as she watched her wife galavant around the fire, the orange radiating off the flames making Waverly’s still tan skin glow. Her grandson, Rex. He was a shy boy, never really finding his way out of his shell. He reminded her of Waverly, who also took her time figuring out exactly what she wanted out of the world. He had Waverly’s hazel eyes and the way they folded into crescent moons whenever he smiled. Rex had Nicole’s dimples which seemed to only truly come out when he was captivated by the toy dump trucks that he would roll around in the living room carpet of their ranch-style home. 

Rex was a curious child. Always asking Waverly about the stars and Nicole about her truck. They both knew that Rex was going to be intelligent when he grew up, but there was something so angelic and pure about his innocence. He didn’t know much about the world, but he knew that the stars told stories and the left pedal meant stop, the right means go. 

“Grandma?”

“Hey, buddy. What’s up?”

“When did you know you loved Grandma?”

“When did I know I loved your grandmother?” Nicole was a bit thrown by the question since it came seemingly out of nowhere. Rex nodded almost cautiously, “Well, buddy, let me tell you a story.”

Nicole took a deep breath and began to daydream, thinking back to when they were young. They’d never really grown out of their honeymoon phase, truth be told. Breakfast in bed was an every Sunday occurrence. Nicole would make pancakes with homemade strawberry compote, a glass of orange juice, freshly squeezed of course, and vegan bacon, a special treat for Waverly, congratulating her pm completing yet another week in this glorious world. They’d go on picnics, walk through the park, holding hands like they’d just fallen in love. Truth is, Nicole fell in love with Waverly over and over again, each time she woke up with the smell of Waverly filling her senses.

“Do you want the long version or the short version, kiddo?”

Rex looked at her with an ‘I think you know the answer to that’, a look that he must have mastered from Waverly.

“Long version it is.” 

Nicole had just moved to Purgatory, a small town where everyone knew each other and what they liked in their coffee. She was nervous at first, having just graduated from the academy when her parents neglected to show up. She’d been there for only a few short days and no one would stop talking about this girl, Waverly. She’d been voted the nicest girl in Purgatory, she even won a sash. Nicole just had to see what the fuss was about.

She realized that Waverly worked in the bar just down the street from the station, only a short five minute walk separating them. As soon as Nicole saw a picture of Waverly in the newspaper, she just had to go introduce herself and ‘shoot her shot’. 

As she flung the door open to the bar, she saw Waverly, clearly fighting with a bar tap and clearly losing. Nicole let out some sappy line, “I didn’t know Shorty’s was having a wet t-shirt competition.”

“What’s a wet t-shirt competition?” Rex shocked her back into reality.

“Um… Don’t worry about it, buddy. It’s not a crucial part of the story.” Nicole cursed herself for not censoring.

The two women talked for only a few brief minutes, Waverly’s shirt got stuck and Nicole helped her take the wet garment off. 

“You saw grandma naked?” Rex looked somehow offended by the event, Nicole assuring him that that wasn’t the case. She was simply being a good cop, helping a troubled citizen who just happened to be Waverly. 

Nicole continued. She had left her card on the table after saying “When I see something I like, I don’t want to wait.” Of course, she left that part out of the story as to avoid the pending questions from Rex. Still, she looked at the memory like treasure, softly smiling and dropping her head and laughing to herself as she pictured the way Waverly’s face softened when the words left Nicole’s lips. 

Nicole skimmed through the beginning of their kind of relationship, briefly mentioning their first kiss but absolutely not mentioning that it had occurred on her boss’ couch, in his office. She was sure Rex would somehow let that slip the next time Nedley came over for dinner. 

“Your grandmother has always been special to me and I’ve always felt that way since the second I laid eyes on her.”

Rex nodded along, “Tell me more.”

“What else do you want to know?”

“I want to know when you knew you loved her.”

Nicole cleared her throat. Man, this kid was direct. Definitely a Waverly trait.

Nicole slipped back into her memories, smiling softly as she did. 

Waverly was unsure about her lineage and where she came from. She didn’t think she was an Earp, and wasn’t really sure about how to go about uncovering that information. Nicole and Waverly had been fighting because of a certain mysterious government agency mishap, a sensitive topic for the two of them. Nicole explained how even though they were both fighting, she knew that it was out of passion and care, rather than it being malicious or deliberately petty.

Nicole knocked on the door, and then she rang, no response from the brunette. She knew Waverly was home, her red Jeep was parked in the drive. She had a key to the homestead, and thought long and hard about just letting herself in. She decided it was a rather urgent situation and turned the key in the lock and walked through the door. The smell of Waverly’s favorite lavender tea flooding into her nose. She was admittedly nervous to see Waverly. They’d been fighting and it was just the worst. Girlfriends fight, which was normal, but that didn’t bring any relief to Nicole. She hated fighting with Waverly. 

Nicole hesitantly walked into Waverly’s room, turning the knob of the door quietly, forgetting to knock. She watched for a moment as Waverly struggled to hang curtains above her window. Her height was always an insecurity. Waverly noticed her out of the corner of her eye, whipping around, drawing in a gasping breath. Nicole explained that she had knocked and rang the doorbell, but Waverly must’ve been in Virgo mode, elbow deep in her redecorating project. 

The redhead was holding a manilla folder with applications to request Waverly’s birth certificate, school records and medical documents. Nicole wanted nothing more than to help Waverly figure out where she came from, who she came from. She hoped that this gesture wouldn’t make Waverly mad, seeing as though no one likes decisions to be made for them. 

To her delight, Waverly seemed appreciative. 

“I know that going down this road is… really important to you. And as long as you want me, I will be by your side.” 

Nicole’s cheeks pulled apart as she reminisced on their first time. Of course, Rex didn’t need to know the details, but that didn’t stop Nicole from remembering the way Waverly’s skin felt under her fingertips, how their sweat slickened bodies shifted against each other. She remembered the way her fingers felt in Waverly’s hair, how Waverly’s swollen lips felt against her own.

She recalled the way her heart fluttered as Waverly unbuttoned her shirt, how Waverly looked as Nicole stared in her eyes, holding eye contact for as long as she could. She loved Waverly. At that precise moment, just before the moment was blurred by the desire of sex, before their bodies were sticky with salt and sweat. While the moment was still pure and innocent, immature almost. She knew Waverly was special from the moment Nicole walked into Shorty’s, from the moment Waverly sat in her squad car finally letting someone in. She’d never forget those feelings. 

Even now Waverly made her feel like a giddy teenager, falling in love for the first time.

“But you still love her, right?”

Nicole let out a laugh and lightly shook her head, “Yes. Always.”

“Did you ever fight?”

“We did, but we worked through it.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

Nicole pondered the idea for a minute, “Um, yeah. Sure buddy.”

Waverly had been waiting on her DNA results for some time now, constantly asking Nicole if they had arrived at that station yet. Nicole always replied with a “Not yet. Soon, honey. '' That wasn’t true. They came one afternoon while it was snowing outside. She stared at the envelope for a long while, and then, in a flurry of impatience, opened the package and read Waverly’s results. As soon as she did, she felt disgusted with herself. She long debated just owning up to her betrayal to Waverly, but then again, what Waverly didn’t know, didn’t hurt her.

Rosita planned to throw Wynonna a baby shower, Waverly helping her decorate and plan in classic Waverly fashion. Nicole wasn’t exactly thrilled about the thought of Waverly and Rosita working together. Rosita had a cloudy past and Nicole couldn’t seem to figure her out. There was something foggy there, but because she loved Waverly, she let it go. 

Long story short, Waverly got a little drunk while waiting for Wynonna to show and she went to grab a pen from her purse. Instead of picking up her own purse, Waverly grabbed Nicole’s, finding her DNA results inside with the top of the envelope torn open. Waverly suddenly sobered up, realizing what had just happened. 

“How could you not tell me?”

“... B-Because I love you.”

Waverly ended up storming out, feeling betrayed and disrespected. She was justified in feeling this way and Nicole knew that as soon as the whole situation happened. How could Nicole completely disregard Waverly’s wishes and then immediately chalk it up to her loving Waverly? 

In the days following, Nicole reflected upon her choices. Of course, she’d do anything to get herself back in Waverly’s good graces, but she had to go about this the right way rather than the easy way. Nicole decided that she should’ve thought more deeply about her choices rather than just submitting to love and the desire to make Waverly happy.

Those were Waverly’s DNA tests, not Nicole’s and Nicole knew that she’d made a huge mistake. Of course, she never got the chance to tell Waverly her very thought out speech she had prepared due to one Widow Mercedes, but Waverly got the gist while Nicole was lying in the hospital bed fighting for her life. 

“So what did Grandma say when you were all better from being sick?”

“Well, Rex, she understood that I read her results out of love and not out of selfishness. There’s a very fine line there between those two feelings and it can sometimes get blurry.”

“What does that mean?” Jesus, this kid is just full of questions. Maybe he has more Waverly in him than Nicole originally thought. 

“Love and selfishness kind of go hand in hand. To love someone is to be selfish. You want that person only for you and you don’t want to share them with anyone else. But you have to make sure that you love that person for who they are and because you want to be around them all the time rather than you enjoying the feeling of love that you get from that person. There’s a difference between being in love with a person and being in love with the feeling of being in love or the idea of being with someone you love,” Rex looked sort of confused. These were heavy lessons for a kid his age to understand, “Does that make sense?” Rex slowly nodded and blinked a few times before Nicole began speaking again.

“We moved on from those arguments because we love each other. We both understood that love makes you do crazy, crazy things and that came true that night in Shorty’s. You have to be able to put your ego aside and take the blame for the things that you do wrong. If you can’t do that, going through this world gets really difficult and love becomes that much harder. I knew that she loved me and she knew that I loved her. And this little mistake on my part made us stronger rather than it making us weaker. I think it showed us that our love was so strong for each other, that we’d both go to extremes just to prove that.”

“But what do you love most about her?”

“Oh, that’s a hard question to answer. There are so many.”

“Please Grandma?” He begged, tugging at Nicole’s flannel sleeve.

“Okay, okay,” She chuckled and shifted her weight around the stump, “Well, if I had to pick a couple things, I’d say her loyalty. She’s always fighting for the people she loves and always supporting them, even when she doesn’t agree with them or their choices. She’s so brave, never backing down from a challenge, instead she encourages it and crushes it every time. Her heart is so big and I’m just lucky to have her forever.” Nicole’s eyes began to well up, but she quickly sucked the tears back in.

“Keep going please.” He asked quietly, as if the question was going to make Nicole cry. 

“Love is hard. It’s hard, kiddo. It’s scary, and magical, and overwhelming, and painful, and beautiful. And no one has the answers. Love can be overpowering and take over all of your senses. And you’ll come to a point in your life where you’re not sure if you can live without love…” She drifted her eyes over to Waverly who was in slow motion now. She ran, the muscles in her legs contracting with her every move, her cheeks pulled back, dimples and wrinkles coming out to play in front of the bonfire. Her eyes held the reflection of the dancing flames in front of her. Waverly’s hair shifted on her head, long, thick and luscious. She was perfect. To Nicole she was everything. She’d never love anyone else as much as she loved Waverly. 

“And it’s going to hurt sometimes. It can cut you deep and it can leave you scarred. But, if you can find someone who makes your heart beat a little faster, who sets a wild kaleidoscope of butterflies loose in your stomach every time they walk into a room, who makes you feel young and wild and free. If you can find someone who sets your soul on fire, who supports you in every endeavor, who loves you unconditionally for who you are, then you have nothing to fear.”

Rex sat back, turning his attention to Waverly who giggled and ran like a child around the blazing pile of wood. He seemed to understand that just because love was intimidating, it didn’t mean he should close himself off.

“But what if it hurts too much?”

“There’s bravery in vulnerability and there’s strength in weakness. There’s nothing wrong with opening up your heart to the possibility of getting hurt. When you find someone who holds your heart, someone who holds the power to hurt you at any given moment, but doesn’t, that’s when you know you love someone. Sometimes, love can feel like you’re running towards a cliff, terrified of jumping. But that’s right. When you’re in love, you don’t think about the cliff because when you reach the end, you’re sure you’ll fly.” Nicole blinked her eyes a few times, realizing that she was talking to an 8 year old about the fear of falling in love, something he wouldn’t have to experience for at least a few more years.

She was thankful for the questions. They gave her a chance to look back and relish the memories that she held so near and dear to her heart. 

When Waverly had nightmares and she danced with Nicole in the living room until the sun came up. When Nicole had a tough day at work, Waverly would run a lavender bath and order a burger. How every Sunday when Nicole walked into the room with Waverly’s pancakes with strawberry compote, freshly squeezed orange juice and vegan bacon, Waverly would giggle like a child and have a smile so bright and wide, it could light up the darkest of rooms. 

Nicole watched Waverly skip around the fire a few more times before standing slowly, allowing her joints to catch up. She walked gingerly over to Waverly, who had just stopped running, catching her breath, chest heaving. 

Nicole sauntered up to her delicately, cupping her face. Waverly turned into Nicole’s palm, placing a kiss on her life line. The redhead kept her eyes trained on Waverly’s almost forgetting to blink. She leaned in slowly, placing a gentle, tender kiss on Waverly’s lips. She tasted like her Waverly. 

“What was that for?” Waverly smiled, definitely not protesting the kiss.

“You are extraordinary, Waverly.” Waverly playfully slapped Nicole’s chest, earning a deep huff from the taller woman. 

“Oh, stop it. You just want smores, don’t you?”

“No, Waves, listen. Thank you for making me feel young every day. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for setting my soul on fire, for igniting the flame inside me every day. I am so lucky to have you, Waverly. I love you, so very much.” Waverly lifted her eyebrows up, and ran her thumb over Nicole’s wrinkled cheek, smiling as she did. 

“I love you more, Nicole Rayleigh Haught. I always have and I always will.” Waverly leaned onto her tiptoes, bumping her nose with Nicole’s. She placed a passionate but delicate kiss onto Nicole’s lips, taking in everything around her. Nicole felt her heart skip a beat. The smell of the smoke from the burning wood filled her nose. The sound of her grandchildren giggling softly made its way into her ears. The way the air felt on her skin gave her goosebumps, but maybe that was Waverly. 

“What do you say we put the kids to bed and then I can show off my spectacular coordination and dance with you.” Nicole joked, adding that cocky attitude that Waverly loved so much.

“Sure, honey. That sounds lovely.” Waverly laughed slightly, her eyes turning to half moons, ones that would put the moon hanging in the sky to shame. 

Nicole and Waverly corralled up the kids and opened the door to the house. Rex begged and begged for a cup of chocolate milk before bed, a demand that was only met with a compromise of no bedtime story. The deal was made and the chocolate milk was downed quicker than Wynonna could down two fingers of Whiskey after a long day of revenant chasing. Rex really had the best attributes of the best of them. 

After kisses were placed on cheeks and covers were drawn up to collar bones, Waverly quietly closed the door, and the two snuck back out to the fire that was billowing in the front yard. Nicole placed a few more logs into the pit and found Waverly staring up at the sky. 

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” Nicole knew the answer coming. It was the same every time Waves looked up at the stars.

“Oh, nothing.”

“Come on, love. What is it?” Nicole walked slowly over to her, taking Waverly’s hands into her own. Nicole spun Waverly slowly, aware of her balance issues since aging. They slowly began to rock back and forth, lightly swaying as the stars shone above them.

“I’m not sure how we got so lucky.” Nicole looked up to the sky and hummed, clearly deep in thought.

“Rex just drilled me about love. Asked some hard questions. He’s more like you than I had originally thought.”

“Gosh, that kid is going to rule the world one day.”

“I hope we get to see it.”

“Me too.” Nicole closed her eyes and lodged her head next to Waverly’s. Nicole still had a height advantage over the brunette, but it made it easier to make Waverly feel safe. She took a deep breath in, letting the smell of Waverly’s lavender and lemon shampoo mixed with the smell of burning leaves fill her nose and take over her senses.

A few more minutes passed by as the two women stayed swaying in the night. Waverly had turned her head against Nicole’s chest, letting it rest against the taller woman, and she closed her eyes. Nicole couldn’t tell what she was thinking about.

Nicole finally begins, “Did you ever think we’d be here? Dancing in the middle of fall while our grandchildren sleep upstairs?”

Waverly slightly chuckled, “No. I can’t say that I did.” When Waverly finished her sentence, she threw her head back and continued to stare at the stars. 

“What’s going on in that beautiful brain of yours?” Nicole felt Waverly shift and open and close her mouth a few times, almost like she was afraid of saying what was on her mind.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too Waverly.”

“You know that you set my soul on fire right?”

“I take our last name seriously.”

“Nicole, I’m being serious.”

“Yes, Waves. I know.”

“And that you make me feel young. And you make me feel whole inside and at peace.”

“Yes, honey I know.” Waverly was quiet for a while after this. Nicole trying to process her tone and the words that were coming out of her mouth.

“We’re so lucky.” Nicole hummed in agreement, “I remember the day we met.” Waverly began to smile.

“Oh, Waves, we don’t have to go over this.” Waverly was laughing and Nicole was squirming against her, dreading the oncoming embarrassment. The memory flashed in front of Nicole’s eyes, reminding her of her Stetson, one that was hung in a shadow box in their bedroom. 

“You walked in with that damn hat, leaned up against the door and just went for it,” Waverly was laughing now, Nicole’s face got redder and redder, nearly matching her hair, “I was thinking about it a while ago, and you had that business card in your pocket the whole time.”

“Yep. Yep, I did.” Nicole’s tone tried to convey that she wanted to be done as soon as possible.

“You never wanted that coffee-”

“No, I wanted you.” Waverly stopped moving, picked up her head from Nicole’s chest and stared into her big, brown eyes, “It was always you.” Waverly slowly blinked a few times, her mouth slightly open.

“Damn straight.” Were the words that left Waverly’s mouth and a huge, beaming smile that could light up the entire sky came shortly after.

Nicole laughed and shook her head, “I’m crazy about you.” 

“I think you’re just crazy,” Nicole suddenly got slightly confused, “But, crazy runs in the family, so bring your crazy and I’ll bring mine. We’ll have a party and I’ll make hats.” Waverly’s eyes crinkled once more, smile lines activated. She shrugged her shoulders lightly as if to say ‘you asked for this’. 

Nicole simply leaned down to Waverly and pressed their lips together, locking in this moment. What amazed Nicole was that even in their old age, having been through life together every day, Waverly still found ways to make Nicole fall in love. And that was priceless. 

Waverly began to tug on Nicole’s hand, “Come on, Sheriff. Let’s get you to bed. We’ve got a full day of pillow fort making and apple picking tomorrow.”

She felt whole in this moment, everything felt perfect, just as it should be. She thanked herself for running towards that cliff because now she was soaring, the ground nowhere in sight, only the never ending horizon in her view.


End file.
